HOTLCAST

Send us Fan Mail Episode description What does it look like to be a church that doesn’t just talk about Jesus, but lives like Him? In this episode of the HOTLCast, Cyle, Cody, and Mark explore how genuine community grows through everyday relationships, shared experiences, and serving others. From hosting a Christmas movie production at the Huddle House to gathering around dinner tables and board g...

Send us Fan Mail Summary You can attend church every Sunday and still miss out on being part of it. In week two of Find Your Fit , Pastor Cyle at Heart o’ the Lakes Church explores what it means to find your place in the church—not simply as someone in a seat, but as an essential part of the body of Christ. Walking through 1 Corinthians 12, he explains that God gives each believer different gifts...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the HOTLCast, hosts Cyle, Ryan, Cody, and Mark gather on Election Day to talk about finding your fit — not just in the church, but at home and in the world. The conversation kicks off with Cody's unopposed run for school board and a thoughtful discussion on the Christian civic duty to vote, then transitions into the church's ongoing "Find Your Fit...

Send us Fan Mail In this kickoff message to the "Find Your Fit" series, Pastor Cyle uses the metaphor of LEGO bricks to illustrate how every person has a unique place in God's design—beginning at home, then in the church, and ultimately in the world. Drawing from Joshua's farewell address at Shechem, he recounts God's faithfulness across generations—from Abraham through th...

Send us Fan Mail Is Celebrating Halloween a Sin? In this episode of HOTL's Got Questions, we tackle one of the most debated topics in the church: Should Christians celebrate Halloween? We dig into what the Bible actually says about occult practices, where Halloween falls on the spectrum of Christian essentials vs. non-essentials, and how the historic church principle — "In the essentials...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the HOTLCast, Cyle, Ryan, and Mark dive into a fascinating conversation about the intersection of faith and technology before unpacking a powerful message from Revelation 12. First, Cyle shares his wild experiment running a "Bite-Sized Bible Study" with 48 AI bots on Grok — each programmed with a different Midwestern personality, background, and spirit...

Send us Fan Mail In the final installment of the "Dungeons & Dragons" series, Pastor Cyle explores the dragon imagery found in the book of Revelation, connecting it back to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. The sermon establishes that the dragon—Satan—is real and uses two primary weapons: intimidation and deception. However, the central message is one of hope and victory: Jesus, the...

Send us Fan Mail Series Context: This episode continues HOTLCast's "Dungeons and Dragons" sermon series, which moves from an Old Testament dungeon story, to a dragon story, and now returns to a dungeon — this time from the New Testament. Main Topic: John the Baptist in Prison (Matthew 11) The conversation centers on John the Baptist's imprisonment under Herod. After publicly ca...

Send us Fan Mail In week 3 of our "Dungeons & Dragons" series at Heart o' the Lakes Church, Pastor Cyle explores a lesser-known New Testament story: John the Baptist imprisoned in the dungeon of Machaerus. After faithfully preparing the way for Jesus and declaring Him the Lamb of God, John finds himself locked in a fortress dungeon — and begins to doubt. Pastor Cyle opens with a...

Send us Fan Mail Cyle returns from a trip to Rome with an unforgettable story — and it's not the good kind. After being robbed of all his luggage hours before flying home (by "brigands," a word he insists on using for his own enjoyment), the crew uses the incident as a springboard into the book of Job. This episode continues HOTLCast's October "Dungeons & Dragons"...

Send us Fan Mail In the second installment of the "Dungeons & Dragons" sermon series, Pastor Cyle Young turns to the story of Job to explore what happens when we face the things we can't control. After recounting Job's devastating losses—his children, his wealth, his health, his marriage, and even his friendships—Pastor Cyle walks through God's response to Job's s...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of the HOTLCast, the crew kicks off October with some fall-weather banter before diving into the week's theme: obedience . The conversation centers on what it looks like to be obedient to God's prompting to have hard conversations with the people you love — and how to do it without destroying the relationship in the process. They discuss building a bridge...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know the creator of Dungeons & Dragons, Gary Gygax, wrote about finding Jesus Christ just one month before he passed away? In this opening message of our October series, Pastor Cyle kicks things off with that surprising story before diving into a lesser-known — but gripping — passage from 1 Kings 22. Set in 853 BC, Israel is split into two kingdoms. King Ahab wants to...

Send us Fan Mail The HOTLCast crew digs into what it takes to stay spiritually grounded when life never slows down. Matt, Ryan, Cody, and Mark explore the tension between intentionality and burnout in ministry, why lasting faith change rarely happens overnight, and the small daily habits that keep you connected to God when there's no room in the schedule for a long quiet time. From five-minut...

Send us Fan Mail In week three of the Vices 3.0 series at Heart o' the Lakes Church, Pastor Matt Plott explores what comes after the vices are gone — and how to build habits that last. Drawing from the book of James and the story of Jesus calming the storm, Pastor Matt unpacks three key choices: seek God daily, trust Him in every circumstance, and embrace the different path He calls us to — e...

Send us Fan Mail The HOTLCast crew — Matt, Ryan, Carver, and Mark — follow up on Pastor Cyle's "Vices" sermon series, reflecting on the powerful testimonies from Mike & Jen Cook and Michael Walters. The conversation covers the many faces of addiction, from substance abuse to screen time and social media, and explores the tension between moderation and abstinence. The guys discus...

Send us Fan Mail In part 3.2 of the Vices series, Pastor Cyle challenges the popular idea that "everything is okay in moderation." Drawing from 1 Corinthians 6 and 10, he unpacks what biblical moderation and abstinence actually look like — and why "just because you can doesn't mean you should." The episode features powerful testimonies from Mike and Jen Cook, who found sob...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of HOTL's Got Questions, the hosts tackle one of the most taboo topics in the church—masturbation. They break down what the Bible actually says about sexual activity and self-gratification, pushing back on "TikTok theology" that claims you can masturbate without sinning. The conversation covers the link between masturbation and lust, how pornography...

Send us Fan Mail The HOTLCast crew is back together as Ryan returns from Save a Warrior, a suicide intervention program for veterans and first responders. The conversation kicks off a new installment of the "Vices" series, this time tackling addiction in all its forms — from drugs and alcohol to pornography, food, social media, caffeine, and even gossip. The guys discuss the veteran suic...

Send us Fan Mail In the third installment of the "Vices" series at Heart o' the Lakes Church, Pastor Cyle Young tackles the topic of addiction — and not just the kind you might expect. Drawing from Galatians 5, 1 Corinthians 6, Romans 6, and 1 Peter 5, he shows that addiction goes far beyond drugs and alcohol to encompass anything that gains control over our lives: envy, anger, spor...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of HOTL's Got Questions, Cyle, Matt, and Ryan tackle one of the most asked — and most avoided — questions in the church today: What does the Bible say about sex before marriage? The answer may be more straightforward than you think. Walking through scripture from 1 Corinthians to Hebrews to the Song of Songs, the guys break down why God's design for sex i...

Send us Fan Mail Ryan and Mark are back from youth retreat with 41 kids, kickball wars, and splash pad chaos. The crew unpacks the weekend's vision sermon on "going the extra mile" — what it means to stop asking "what's the least I can do?" and start giving maximum effort for Jesus. Mark coins the term "cruise control Christian," Matt reminds us the second m...

Send us Fan Mail Pastor Cyle delivers a passionate message at Heart o' the Lakes Church unpacking the church's "Vision 330" — rooted in John 3:30, "He must increase, I must decrease." Drawing from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:41), he challenges the modern church's tendency toward "minimum effort Christianity" and calls believers to go the...

Send us Fan Mail When is the last time you got upset over something at church — and was it actually worth getting upset about? In this episode of the HOTLCast, Cyle, Ryan, Matt, and Mark unpack the crucial difference between preferences, convictions, and biblical imperatives. From a church member who left over colored Christmas lights to complaints about sandals on stage, the crew shares real-life...

Send us Fan Mail In part two of the "Spiritual Mutts" series, Pastor Cyle explores what it means to be "dogmatic" as a Christian — and why being dogmatic about the wrong things causes so much damage in the church. Using his Weimaraner Trevie as a humorous and relatable illustration, he breaks down three critical categories every believer needs to understand: Imperatives — Bibli...